This invention relates to food processors, and, more particularly, to a food processor having a shredder attachment for cutting and shredding food product.
Commercial food processors for shredding food products such as cabbage and other vegetables generally comprise a housing, a circular slicer plate disposed within the housing which is mounted to a rotatable plate holder drivingly connected to a power unit, and a feed chute for receiving food product to be processed. A pusher plate, movable within the feed chute, pushes the food product into the housing and against the rotating slicer plate for cutting and shredding of the food product. The shredded food product is then expelled from the housing through an opening at the bottom which leads to a discharge chute emptying into a bucket.
In most prior art food processors, the slicer plate is a circular metal plate in which a plurality of shredder blades are formed by bending small, spaced sections of metal above the plane of the plate by a punching operation forming a hole behind each blade. The shredder blades slice the food product into strips which pass through the holes to the opposite face of the plate. In order to achieve maximum efficiency, it is desirable to direct the food product from the feed chute toward the outer periphery of the slicer plate because the hub of the plate holder is mounted to the center portion of the slicer plate and tends to interfere with the food product shredded thereat. This has been accomplished in prior art food processors by mounting the feed chute onto the housing so that it is offset from the center of the slicer plate, and also by including a rounded projection at one side of the feed chute. The rounded projection was intended to engage the food product as it moves down the chute and direct it toward the outer periphery of the slicer plate.
Prior art feed chutes of this type have created several problems. For example, food products having a dimension approximately equal to the transverse dimension of the feed chute required substantial pressure to push them over the rounded projection and against the slicer plate. This frequently resulted in the formation of cut strands of product which were too irregular for use. In addition, food products such as cabbage heads were crushed and bruised against the feed chute with the exertion of substantial force by the pusher plate. Moreover, it has proven difficult to obtain a tight seal between the rounded projection and pusher plate as the pusher plate advances the food product toward the slicer plate. This often resulted in the expulsion of shredded product up the feed chute from the housing, instead of out the discharge chute.
Another problem with prior art food processors has been the accumulation of shredded product within the housing. In most designs, the housing is generally rectangular in shape with planar interior surfaces and right angle corners. Food product shredded in the housing was typically thrown radially outwardly to the outer surfaces and corners of the housing due to the centrifugal force produced by the rotating slicer plate and its support plate. Prior art food processors included no means for clearing shredded food product from the outer surfaces and corners of the housing while the machine was operating. In order to clear the housing, prior art food processors must be shut down and the shredded product removed by hand. This results in substantial operating delays and lost efficiency.
A further problem with many prior art food processors was the occasional leakage of oil or grease from a bearing which drivingly connects the hub of the plate holder to the drive shaft of a power unit. Vegetables such as cabbage and the like contain water which is liberated when the product is shredded. The water accumulates within the housing during the shredding operation and at times is thrown against the hub bearing. In prior art food processors, the water was allowed to splash directly into the hub bearing and wash away some of the grease which then flowed into the housing and combined with the shredded food product. This wastes all of the shredded product and required substantial down time for maintenance.